Freedom of Choice
by Master of Shiawase Punch
Summary: Falling from the flying ship, Maxim, Nami gives in to the compulsion to go back on deck for the savior chef. Really short oneshot. SANJI ECKS NAMI. R&R. Rated T for language and slightly crude body references ONLY.


Howdy ho, kids. Another oneshot. I enjoy plopping these little stories onto the Web. Random parts of random parts of the One Piece story, retold by me. Oh yey, praise the plotless bunk! I suck. Gotta get my SanjixNami fix somehow. SINCE I HAVE ONLY ONE RP BUDDY NOW. GAH! You PEOPLE….

Short and sweet, to the point, nothing too fancy. This is based on one of my favorite OP episodes, set during Skypiea. #186….maybe? GAH. How could I not remember….? I REALLY suck now…anyways, how I always envisioned it being, if SaNa came into play. Well….sorta. Probably not so filled with dialogue. I'm a goof.

I almost went with a surprise ending though, adding a bit of EnelxNami….HAHAHAAHAHAHA. What a riot I might have started –considers rewriting the whole thing…- I quite like EnelxNami….

Anyways, R&R. Danke.

Oktoberfesting all the way back to Germany,

---Ken

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As sure as fear, gravity still existed at such a height. Was it pulling with the same strength, being as high as they were? What did _she_ know about such things? All she had bothered about when venturing to the 'Sky Island' was whether the weather still existed at this level in the blue above their heads. She was still only comfortable with the watery blue beneath the ship. She predicted the sky, she didn't sail in it.

She felt the Waver leave underneath her feet. Her hands unwillingly released the handle bars.

'_What am I doing?! Hold on to the machine!_'

"Nami!" Usopp screamed into her ear, his voice somehow reaching her eardrums amongst the air rushing past. She tried to turn her head. "Land safely!"

How could she decide how she landed?! BAKA. She had other issues to think about, surprisingly, not involving her current plight.

---

He'd come from nowhere, sending a strong and well-targeted kick into Usopp's abdomen. The marksman was heaved upward, forward, landing clumsily onto the back of the Waver, threatening to send it off course with his momentum, but Nami balanced the force with a clever turn of the mechanism. Thank God (surely not Enel…) she'd had some time to get acquainted with the thing, and thank God again (He was definitely getting some praise and thanks today, she thought) that she had had the sense to actually _bring_ it.

She glanced behind her, slowing down slightly.

"S-S…Sanji's come…" Usopp choked, scrambling to his feet. The change in speed allowed him to regain his footing. "The bastard…always sneaking in at the end."

"He's---" A stream of collected electricity was released from its high potential source as Enel reached forward, arm outstretched towards the chef. It raced forward, velocity only increasing in the mere seconds Nami stared in horror: an intensely bright, blue, horizontal column of pure destruction, aimed directly at the spur-of-the-moment savior. She felt the hairs on her arms rise, her scalp prickling. "He's---!"

"Go." Sanji held a cigarette to his lips, smiling, his "play-it-cool" demeanor failing to waiver even in the presence of this man who called himself 'God'. Her eyes met his briefly as the Waver whizzed past him, out of the way of Enel's attack. "_God_speed."

"Oh God, move---USOPP! Why are you---?!"

"We have to get off this thing, it's already been destroyed from the inside!" Usopp twisted the handle accelerator repeatedly, hurriedly, begging the engine to increase velocity. Nami looked back at Sanji, her face strained.

"What about _Sanji_?! Are you mad?!" She dug her fingernails into the back of this hand, trying to pry it off of the handle. He forcefully shoved her off, surprising her.

"Guh, forget it, you can't bother! You're going to crush a man's resolution? This is his decision!" He gave her a piercing glance.

'_I hope you realized the consequences with an __**open**__mind__,Sanji__, not a heroic__, love-struck__ one…_'

Nami stared at him, wide-eyed and incredulous: what did Usopp mean? Had the shock Enel gave him rattled his brain? She turned around, allowing Usopp full authority of the Waver; only her arm wrapped tightly about his waist, afraid of being thrown off at any moment.

A gasp escaped her dry lips, the sharp breath not even being heard by herself. The surrounding air exploded from the electricity's intense heat, sending her sense of hearing into oblivion. Her body shook, the thunder's godly shock reverberating off of every available surface area. Being this close to something she'd only witnessed from the ground, looking up, predicting when the storm would be over, made her ill; her stomach turned, her fear washed over her. It was only a matter of seconds, and then it hit.

Sanji, amidst the sparks of electric blue.

"Sa---SANJI-KUN!"

She felt the Waver hit something hard, almost causing her to fall backwards. She pushed Usopp to the side, grabbing onto the Waver's handles once again for support. She motioned to look at the cause of the bump, finding her, Usopp, and the vehicle tossed over the railing of the Maxim, no surface to ride upon. It was all open air beneath. Her stomach sank as her breath caught in her throat: she would die.

---

Mere seconds passed, and here she was, thinking of gravity. Mere seconds, milliseconds most likely. She worked on instinct; afterwards, she'd commend herself, not even she knew she could function so quickly in a dire situation. She grabbed Usopp, who had already turned around, positioning himself to shoot a grappling hook back up at the Ark's railing.

'_You clever little idiot…_'

"N-Nami! Stay falling! LET GO!"

"I'm going back too!"

"I'm saving Sanji, LET GO NOW! Too much weight, we'll fall, let go!" He was speaking quickly, his voice quivering. Would she really try to do this now? She'd ruin his plan to rescue Sanji! She'd---

Nami sent a forceful fist into his belly, somehow pushing the correct button to release the hook from the marksman's belt. It sailed beautifully upwards, the rope whistling through the air in a graceful arc. Nami smiled.

'_Why are you doing this, Nami, you __ol__' twit…_?' she thought.

"NAMIIIIIIII!!!!!" Usopp screamed, the hook catching solidly onto the railing yards above. "We're going to hit the side!"

"I am, just me."

Usopp stared down in horror as he felt the belt slide through its appropriate loops in his pants: she had undone the buckle?!

"Nami, you little…you brat! You stupid bitch! You're committing suicide! What do you think…" His voice trailed off as he continued falling with the Waver, holding onto it for dear life. His scream somehow amused her, and she chuckled, even as she sailed through the air, clutching the rope and bracing herself for a swinging blow into the side of the Ark. She'd miss the Waver; maybe it'd make it. Surely, Usopp would: he had the emergency parachute, she knew.

Her grip on the rope was almost lost, the blow was so sudden and massive. The air in her lungs literally felt like it had exploded in her chest, trying to escape so quickly. She gasped for a few seconds before any new air would enter, her chest heaving as she finally gained the ability to breathe once mor5 e. She stared intently at the side of Maxim, the giant flying ship. She wanted to let go and end it.

"What the hell are you _thinking_?! You're so stupid. IDIOT!" She cursed at herself heavily. "You know yourself. You can't give this up."

She stared up the rope, the distance she had to cover, and tried to pull herself higher. Her knuckles were white, dried patches of blood caked against them. Her hands had hit the outer shell of the Ark, her knuckles cracking against the hard surface. They wouldn't bend; she could only slide her sweaty fingers and palms against the painful rope, squeezing it with all her strength as she climbed slowly. Her hands ached, her eyes burned as the wind blew into them. Maxim was moving fast. She realized how cold it was at this height, and a chill started at her shoulders and fled down through her body, to her feet. Another instance she felt herself slip.

"Hold on…don't you dare let go of yourself, Nami…"

It felt like an hour had passed when it only took her a few minutes to ascend the span of rope. She pulled herself over the railing with bent arms. Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to flex her tired knuckles, her hands formed into gnarled, clenched balls. She winced as they finally loosened.

"Damn it…"

Usopp had been right about the inner workings of the Ark. A large plume of black smoke billowed from a stack at the top of the large deck cabin, housing Maxim's mechanics. Enel was no where in sight, and she could hear gears grinding against each other, their teeth failing to mesh. Everything was thrown out of sync. She breathed easily, smiling wearily. Gazing forward, she cried out weakly as she recognized a svelte form in the center of a charred section of the wooden deck.

"Ah, Sanji! Sanji-kun!" She raced forward, stumbling over her own sandals, catching herself before falling onto him. She kneeled at his side, shaking him. "Wake up! Wake up, Sanji-kun! Please…" He failed to move for her, so she turned him over, her face hardened in preparation of what he may look like. She had never seen an electrocuted person before. His skin was blackened, his hair singed, but he did not look as bad as she envisioned. She sighed, moving near his head, pulling him onto her bent knees. "Thank God…"

Her hand swept over his face, his head gently resting in her lap. No eye movement. She pushed a few fingers around his neck, into his skin, feeling for a pulse. Her eyes widened, thinking she felt pulsation against her shaking fingers. She tried to find it again.

"Don't you dare die on me now, Sanji…you…you've…" Tears formed at the base of her eyes. Was Enel's attack the final blow to bring this man, this gentle chef, to death? He'd endured the worst of physical blows, his bones breaking at times, his wounds shedding much blood. Could his heart not endure the voltage? She tried thinking positively, but her brain told her otherwise. He was still human. He still possessed a vulnerable heart, in more ways than one. Maybe she'd driven him into more emotional heart attacks than was healthy, and had weakened his ability to withstand…

'_What the hell are you thinking, Nami? A __heart's a heart…what's denying him have__ to do with it?_'

Guilt drowned her thoughts: not paying him enough attention, constantly denying him, not just romantic advances. She wouldn't let him listen to her, she couldn't trust him, when she knew well that he'd be the best person around to confide in. She often watched him turn away from her stern and stubborn self, standing akimbo, frowning. His face was smiling, but inside she knew he was hurt. He really wanted to help. Why did he treat her well, cater to her, even when she bombarded him with insults occasionally, faking a smile to make him leave? Surely it wasn't looks. If he wanted tall, graceful, and pouty, she wasn't it. She had a decent figure, but she could have polished herself up better, she thought. She yelled, she fumed, she showed him first-hand the results of her violent rampages. She wouldn't let him ogle her over for too long, and wouldn't let him try to get her into any…_situations_… What was his gain?

'_But what kind of a man acts like that__ for gain__? No man can put up with my feelings, __my __thoughts__…__he's only getting backlash and snapping on my part…_'

Her thoughts left her momentarily, forgetting what she was flying on, who was controlling it, why she had returned to the deck. Why had she returned? What had she hoped about Sanji?

"I guess I hoped you had been only stunned. I wish…I wish you would have been about to jump as I got up here, shaky, but on your feet. And then you could…I'd have…someone to comfort me…I…I'll miss that, actually." She sniffed, bending forward at the waist, pressing her knuckles into her eyes to prevent herself from crying. "I'll miss _you_, Sanji…Sanji…"

"Nami-san, if you continue crying over me, I'll toss you over the railing myself."

Nami gasped, her neck cracking as she quickly bent her head down to stare at the source of the voice. "Sa-Sanji! Sanji?! You---you're alive!"

Rubbing his forehead with a black hand, he winced. "Ah, shit. I'm as surprised as you are, Miss Nami. And I'm sorry about the 'tossing you over' comment." She smiled, not even heeding it in the first place. "But I'm not worth your tears."

"I'll kill you if you say that again. How'd you---?" Her eyes tried to focus on a long finger placed to her lips.

"You're even cuter from this view, upside-down." He grinned, his gaze trailing to her breasts. "Very good view. So you took your T-shirt off."

"Still a perv. I thought maybe your brain would be cooked enough to burn away those thoughts of yours."

He laughed, the best noise she'd heard all day. "You can't _cook_ the _cook_, Nami."

"You're still rotten. You can be thrown out like spoiled food all the same." She looked at him sternly, not amused. "Should I throw you out now, or later?"

"Never."

"Why do you care?" She'd started running her fingers through his hair. She noticed him shiver, the smile on his dirty face grow wider. His eyelids drooped.

"Because you do."

"I don't care. I can leave you right here and now." She shifted, attempting to get up, but Sanji grabbed her wrists, holding her to her position.

"Then why'd you come back up here after I told you to leave, to go and save yourself? That was my goal anyway. I should be angry with you, you've ruined my saving routine."

"You could have easily went to go save Robin," Nami shrugged.

"But you come first. Always." He reached up and touched the side of her face. "I like my head in your lap."

'_I kind of do too_…_NAMI. __You __sicko__ Shut your mind off for a moment. Or, rather, turn it ON. You're on a death ship with a man set on killing you. WHAT ARE YOU DOING COMING BACK TO IT?!_'

"I'll believe it when I experience it, I guess," she said, pretending to not hear his preference.

"You're not very bright, Nami. At least, when it comes to realizing when a man's head over heels in love with you," he added, taking note of the change in her eyes. She was sensitive, he knew. "You're appreciative of my saving of you and Usopp, are you not?"

"Yes…"

"You could have taken full advantage of escaping, yet, here you are, coming back to me. Were you concerned about me?"

"No."

"Admit it. Why else would you risk your life coming back?" He smirked. "You were concerned."

Nami rolled her eyes. "Does it matter this much to you, my being concerned whether a friend survives or not?"

"It does. I'm taking mental note of all the details, Nami. To tell you the truth, I was scared shitless just minutes ago. I very well could have died. I _should_ have died. But I got to see your gorgeous face upon waking. Do you know how much that thrilled me?" She giggled. "I'm telling the truth. It matters the world. I want you to love me, Nami."

"Why?"

"Because it will do us both a lot of good, love will." His hands lightly cupped both sides of her face. "And I like your frustrated face. Like now."

"Not like now! We've got to get out of here! You're just making me angry, that's all," she hissed, blushing madly. What a load of bunk. Was he just spewing off the residual effects of the shock?

"My first demand of you: kiss me."

"Those cost some major buckage, bucko. I don't pass out freebies." She leaned forward, not knowing herself what she was planning on doing.

'_Damn my compulsions…_'

"I'll pay you back in excess. I promise." He pulled her face down gently to his, his smiling lips pressing against hers. She didn't pull back, rather, she leaned closer still, indulging completely. What a wonderful taste, feeling, sensation! She felt odd, positioned upside-down over him. She was sure, if his eyes were open, he'd be getting a decent presentation of her chest, but she didn't give it more than a second's thought.

'_I want him to get a good look…wait, no! __NAMI, stop thinking that way.__ You can't rely on carnal desires to win someone over…plus, he obviously cares for more than your body anyway…' _

His lips caressed hers gingerly, his moist tongue slowly lapping against hers. He was very patient, tender, and cautious; she wondered if his gentle nature infiltrated all of his behaviors. She imagined him being rough and forcible for a kiss, nothing like how he was treating her now. She moaned weakly, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Was that a _moan_, Nami-san?" Sanji chortled, finally releasing his hold on her mouth. He kissed the back of her right hand, continuing to her fingertips. "I suppose I over-did it. Extra hidden fees?"

She laughed, running a thumb over his bristled chin. "For you, Sanji, first one's free."


End file.
